Linkwood 1939 Gordon and MacPhail 43 Year Old

Linkwood single malt has always been considered a key component of many popular blends, such as Johnnie Walker and White Horse, with much of its output reserved for these as a result. In 1982 it was selected for the Ascot Malt Cellar range by DCL, an early precursor to the Classic Malts range later launched by United Distillers. It had been on the short-list for the subsequent range at the time, but the company eventually opted for Cragganmore as the Speyside representative instead, later opting to revive the 12 year old under the Flora & Fauna brand. That remains the only permanent distillery bottling, but independent releases like this are more common however. 

Gordon & MacPhail were granted a license by DCL to officially bottle Linkwood single malt in the 1970s and 1980s. This long-standing relationship with the distillery has since furnished the Elgin-based independent firm with a steady supply of high-quality casks, and subsequently, high-quality releases.

The distilleries in the DCL portfolio were always licensed to one of their blending companies, who often had their own single malt brands for them. As a result, those also licensed to Gordon & MacPhail (Linkwood, Mortlach and Talisker) were bottled using special labels, each recognisable by their uniform use of the eagle motif. When United Distillers succeeded DCL in the late 1980s, they returned the licenses to their distilleries. Gordon & MacPhail continued to buy and bottle Linkwood however, and also continued to use the eagle label. As of 2018, bottles in this style have been branded as part of the Distillery Labels range, which replicates the "house labels" used by the company for many distilleries like this over the years.

This is a rare pre-war vintage, bottled in the early 1980s.